K-12 related

Reflections on “7 Urgent Changes to Stop the Teacher Shortage Crisis” [Cates]

On 11/07/2024, in education, education reform, ideas, K-12 related, leadership, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, strategy, teachers, by Daniel Christian

7 Urgent Changes to Stop the Teacher Shortage Crisis — from teachingexpertise.com by Natalie Cates

In the past few years, the teacher shortage has reached critical levels. According to recent surveys, about 30% of teachers plan to leave their jobs in the next year, and 40% of those are considering leaving education altogether. Even more shocking is that only 16% of educators would strongly recommend the profession to others. This isn’t just a temporary problem; it’s a crisis that threatens the future of education. Teachers are burned out, undervalued, and overwhelmed by growing demands.

The question is: What needs to change? What will it take to stop the mass exodus from education and create an environment where teachers want to stay and thrive?

Below are the key areas that need urgent reform if we want to stop the teacher shortage and rebuild a sustainable, respected profession.

Micromanagement is a key contributor to teacher burnout. Teachers are bogged down with endless paperwork, restrictive policies, and constant oversight, leaving little room for creativity or autonomy in their classrooms. Instead of focusing on teaching, educators are often tied up with administrative tasks that serve little purpose in improving student outcomes.
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“AMEN!! These are so accurate about what is needed in education.”, as what most teachers exclaimed. Teachers are professionals, and they deserve to be treated as such. Restoring autonomy is key to retaining talented educators.

From DSC:
I believe in giving those on the front lines — of anything (business, government, education, other) — as much control, autonomy, and power as possible. I hold this position because those are the folks who really know what’s going on, what’s working and what’s not working, and how best to fix things.

So I’m all in favor of trusting our teachers to tell us what they need and want to do. We need less input and control from legislators and more input and control from teachers.

Two items re: news and media literacy

On 11/07/2024, in education, journalism, K-12 related, media/film, new media literacies, parents/guardians, social learning / networks, society, youth, by Daniel Christian

For Teens Online, Conspiracy Theories Are Commonplace. Media Literacy Is Not. — from edsurge.com by Nadia Tamez-Robledo

If you’re a teen, you could be exposed to conspiracy theories and a host of other pieces of misinformation as frequently as every day while scrolling through your social media feeds.

That’s according to a new study by the News Literacy Project, which also found that teens struggle with identifying false information online. This comes at a time when media literacy education isn’t available to most students, the report finds, and their ability to distinguish between objective and biased information sources is weak. The findings are based on responses from more than 1,000 teens ages 13 to 18.

“News literacy is fundamental to preparing students to become active, critically thinking members of our civic life — which should be one of the primary goals of a public education,” Kim Bowman, News Literacy Project senior research manager and author of the report, said in an email interview. “If we don’t teach young people the skills they need to evaluate information, they will be left at a civic and personal disadvantage their entire lives. News literacy instruction is as important as core subjects like reading and math.”

To help teach your students about news and media literacy, I highly recommend my sister Sue Ellen Christian’s work out at Wonder Media.

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There you will find numerous resources for libraries, schools, families and individuals. Suggestions of books, articles, other websites, and online materials to assist you in growing your media literacy and news media literacy are also included there.

Below are several items from edutopia.org:

Doing the Best You Can With the Time You Have — by Jay Schauer
These strategies can help overwhelmed teachers prioritize tasks and find a balance between perfectionism and efficiency.
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How to Support Teachers’ Emotional Health — by Hedreich Nichols
Emotional well-being plays a major role in teachers’ job satisfaction, and it’s essential that they have effective resources for support.

Teachers cannot be expected to teach SEL effectively without first being intentional about their own emotional health. If we want educators to guide students through emotional regulation, they must have the time, space, and support to do that work themselves. This goes beyond surface-level wellness initiatives—teachers need opportunities to reflect on their emotional triggers, manage their own stresses, and receive genuine support from their schools. Only when teachers are empowered to process their own emotional challenges can they truly foster a healthy social and emotional environment for their students.

In Praise of the Humble Document Camera — by Emily Rankin
Revisiting a simple edtech tool can help you introduce rigor and engage students more deeply in their lessons.

4 Ways to Use a Document Camera in Your Classroom— by Emily Rankin
If a document camera is gathering dust in a classroom, its lack of impact is probably linked to the user, not what the gadget is capable of. Case in point, I wasn’t using mine regularly because I didn’t know the value it could add to my teaching and learning. Here are some of the practices I now know are possible:

Guided practice. …
Assessment for learning. …
Sharing materials. …
Expanding teaching and learning possibilities.

Weighing Inquiry-Based Learning and Direct Instruction in Elementary Math — by Vivian Quan
Teachers can ask themselves three key questions in order to choose the most effective instructional approach to a topic.

One factor to consider is the subject. In math, students need opportunities to work on rich tasks and solve problems in ways that make sense to them. However, that doesn’t mean direct instruction is totally absent from math time. The questions below can guide you in deciding whether to use direct instruction, when it would be appropriate, and who else in the classroom you might involve.

Increasing Talk Time in World Language Classes — by Kate Good
Teachers can experiment with a variety of strategies to build and assess students’ ability to converse in the target language.

To capitalize on my students’ (seemingly inexhaustible) desire to chat, I work to increase student talk time in our Spanish immersion classes. I use several strategies to build and assess students’ oral language.

“AI Tutors Double Rates of Learning in Less Learning Time” [Hardman] + other items re: AI in our learning ecosystems

On 11/01/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, CMS/LMS, colleges, community colleges, corporate universities / corporate training, digital learning, education, education technology, emerging technologies, experimentation, faculty/staff, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, K-12 related, law schools, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, liberal arts, platforms, podcasting, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

AI Tutors Double Rates of Learning in Less Learning Time — by drphilippahardman.substack.com Dr. Philippa Hardman
Inside Harvard’s new groundbreaking study

Conclusion
This Harvard study provides robust evidence that AI tutoring, when thoughtfully designed, can significantly enhance learning outcomes. The combination of doubled learning gains, increased engagement, and reduced time to competency suggests we’re seeing just the beginning of AI’s potential in education and that its potential is significant.

If this data is anything to go by, and if we – as humans – are open and willing to acting on it, it’s possible AI will have a significant and for some deeply positive impact on how we design and deliver learning experiences.

That said, as we look forward, the question shouldn’t just be, “how AI can enhance current educational methods?”, but also “how it might AI transform the very nature of learning itself?”. With continued research and careful implementation, we could be moving toward an era of education that’s more effective but also more accessible than ever before.

Three Quick Examples of Teaching with and about Generative AI — from derekbruff.org Derek Bruff

Text-to-Podcast.
Assigning Students to Groups.
AI Acceptable Use Scale.

Also from Derek’s blog, see:

From Mike Sharples on LinkedIn:

ChatGPT’s free voice wizard — from wondertools.substack.com by Jeremy Caplan
How and why to try the new Advanced Voice Mode

7 surprisingly practical ways to use voice AI
Opening up ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode (AVM) is like conjuring a tutor eager to help with whatever simple — or crazy — query you throw at it. Talking is more fluid and engaging than typing, especially if you’re out and about. It’s not a substitute for human expertise, but AVM provides valuable machine intelligence.

Get a virtual museum tour. …
Chat with historical figures….
Practice languages. …
Explore books. …
Others…

Though not AI-related, this is along the lines of edtech:

MoodleMoot Global 24 Conference Notes — from onedtech.philhillaa.com by Glenda Morgan
A first look at Moodle under new leadership

Here’s the link to access it: https://t.co/kHq0S2r4aD

It’s only available in the US at the moment, but it works with a VPN.

Truly the best tool for learning a new subject I’ve tried so far.

— Paul Couvert (@itsPaulAi) October 31, 2024

…which links to:

Next-Generation Durable Skills Assessment [McClennen]

On 10/29/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, assessment, innovation, instructional design, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, simulations, skills, student-related, teachers, United States, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, XR - extended reality, by Daniel Christian

Next-Generation Durable Skills Assessment — from gettingsmart.com by Nate McClennen

Key Points

Emphasizing the use of AI, VR, and simulation games, the methods in this article enhance the evaluation of durable skills, making them more accessible and practical for real-world applications.
The integration of educational frameworks and workplace initiatives highlights the importance of partnerships in developing reliable systems for assessing transferable skills.

Half of Higher Ed Institutions Now Use AI for Outcomes Tracking, But Most Lag in Implementing Comprehensive Learner Records — from prnewswire.com; via GSV

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Instructure, the leading learning ecosystem and UPCEA, the online and professional education association, announced the results of a survey on whether institutions are leveraging AI to improve learner outcomes and manage records, along with the specific ways these tools are being utilized. Overall, the study revealed interest in the potential of these technologies is far outpacing adoption. Most respondents are heavily involved in developing learner experiences and tracking outcomes, though nearly half report their institutions have yet to adopt AI-driven tools for these purposes. The research also found that only three percent of institutions have implemented Comprehensive Learner Records (CLRs), which provide a complete overview of an individual’s lifelong learning experiences.

New Survey Says U.S. Teachers Colleges Lag on AI Training. Here are 4 Takeaways — from the74million.org by ; via GSV
Most preservice teachers’ programs lack policies on using AI, CRPE finds, and are likely unready to teach future educators about the field.

In the nearly two years since generative artificial intelligence burst into public consciousness, U.S. schools of education have not kept pace with the rapid changes in the field, a new report suggests.

Only a handful of teacher training programs are moving quickly enough to equip new K-12 teachers with a grasp of AI fundamentals — and fewer still are helping future teachers grapple with larger issues of ethics and what students need to know to thrive in an economy dominated by the technology.

The report, from the Center on Reinventing Public Education, a think tank at Arizona State University, tapped leaders at more than 500 U.S. education schools, asking how their faculty and preservice teachers are learning about AI. Through surveys and interviews, researchers found that just one in four institutions now incorporates training on innovative teaching methods that use AI. Most lack policies on using AI tools, suggesting that they probably won’t be ready to teach future educators about the intricacies of the field anytime soon.

It is bonkers that I can write out all my life goals on a sheet of paper, take a photo of it, and just ask Claude or ChatGPT for help.

I get a complete plan, milestones, KPIs, motivation, and even action support to get there.

Less than 5% of the world uses the SOTA AI…

— Allie K. Miller (@alliekmiller) October 21, 2024

The 5 Secret Hats Teachers are Wearing Right Now (Thanks to AI!) — from aliciabankhofer.substack.com by Alicia Bankhofer
New, unanticipated roles for educators sitting in the same boat

As beta testers, we’re shaping the tools of tomorrow. As researchers, we’re pioneering new pedagogical approaches. As ethical guardians, we’re ensuring that AI enhances rather than compromises the educational experience. As curators, we’re guiding students through the wealth of information AI provides. And as learners ourselves, we’re staying at the forefront of educational innovation.

Most parents know AI will be crucial to their children’s future — from eschoolnews.com
A new survey from Samsung Solve for Tomorrow reveals an urgent need to address the looming AI knowledge gap in schools

Parents of Gen Alpha and Gen Z students are optimistic about the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance various aspects of education, according to a new Morning Consult survey commissioned by Samsung Solve for Tomorrow.

The survey notes that an overwhelming 88 percent of parents believe that knowledge of AI will be crucial in their child’s future education and career. However, despite this belief, 81 percent of parents either don’t believe or are not sure that AI is even part of their children’s curriculum. That disparity highlights a pressing need to raise awareness of and increase parental involvement in AI discussions, and advance the implementation of AI in American primary and secondary education.

Norway law decrees: Let childhood be childhood — from hechingerreport.org by Jackie Mader
In the Scandinavian country, early childhood education is a national priority, enshrined in law

Ullmann’s conclusion embodies one of Norway’s goals for its citizens: to build a nation of thriving adults by providing childhoods that are joyful, secure and inclusive. Perhaps nowhere is this belief manifested more clearly than in the nation’s approach to early child care. (In Norway, all education for children 5 and under is referred to as “barnehagen,” the local translation of “kindergarten.”) To an American, the Norwegian philosophy, both in policy and in practice, could feel alien. The government’s view isn’t that child care is a place to put children so parents can work, or even to prepare children for the rigors of elementary school. It’s about protecting childhood.

“A really important pillar of Norway’s early ed philosophy is the value of childhood in itself,” said Henrik D. Zachrisson, a professor at the Centre for Research on Equality in Education at the University of Oslo. “Early ed is supposed to be a place where children can be children and have the best childhood possible.”

10 ChatGPT prompts to extract everything from a book: pic.twitter.com/zzn4NrWu4l

— Farhan (@mhdfaran) October 12, 2024

Articulate AI & the “Buttonification” of Instructional Design — from drphilippahardman.substack.com by Dr. Philippa Hardman
A new trend in AI-UX, and its implications for Instructional Design

1. Using AI to Scale Exceptional Instructional Design Practice
Imagine a bonification system that doesn’t just automate tasks, but scales best practices in instructional design:

Evidence-Based Design Button…
Learner-Centered Objectives Generator…
Engagement Optimiser…

2. Surfacing AI’s Instructional Design Thinking
Instead of hiding AI’s decision-making process, what if we built an AI system which invites instructional designers to probe, question, and learn from an expert trained AI?

Explain This Design…
Show Me Alternatives…
Challenge My Assumptions…
Learning Science Insights…

By reimagining the role of AI in this way, we would…

Recapping OpenAI’s Education Forum — from marcwatkins.substack.com by Marc Watkins

OpenAI’s Education Forum was eye-opening for a number of reasons, but the one that stood out the most was Leah Belsky acknowledging what many of us in education had known for nearly two years—the majority of the active weekly users of ChatGPT are students. OpenAI has internal analytics that track upticks in usage during the fall and then drops off in the spring. Later that evening, OpenAI’s new CFO, Sarah Friar, further drove the point home with an anecdote about usage in the Philippines jumping nearly 90% at the start of the school year.

I had hoped to gain greater insight into OpenAI’s business model and how it related to education, but the Forum left me with more questions than answers. What app has the majority of users active 8 to 9 months out of the year and dormant for the holidays and summer breaks? What business model gives away free access and only converts 1 out of every 20-25 users to paid users? These were the initial thoughts that I hoped the Forum would address. But those questions, along with some deeper and arguably more critical ones, were skimmed over to drive home the main message of the Forum—Universities have to rapidly adopt AI and become AI-enabled institutions.

Off-Loading in the Age of Generative AI — from insidehighered.com by James DeVaney

As we embrace these technologies, we must also consider the experiences we need to discover and maintain our connections—and our humanity. In a world increasingly shaped by AI, I find myself asking: What are the experiences that define us, and how do they influence the relationships we build, both professionally and personally?

This concept of “off-loading” has become central to my thinking. In simple terms, off-loading is the act of delegating tasks to AI that we would otherwise do ourselves. As AI systems advance, we’re increasingly confronted with a question: Which tasks should we off-load to AI?

Students need clarity on their postsecondary pathways — from eschoolnews.com by Laura Ascione
When it comes to planning for life after high school, a lack of career exposure is hindering many students’ abilities to envision a future

Key points:

Students require guidance and career exposure to plan for the future
The exposure gap is blocking students’ ability to envision future careers
3 online resources to encourage student career planning
For more news on career readiness, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub

Much emphasis is placed on college and career readiness, but too often, K-12 students aren’t exposed to career possibilities or career resources to form an idea of what their future may look like.

The Tutoring Revolution [Korbey]

On 10/11/2024, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, digital learning, education, education technology, emerging technologies, future, game-changing environment, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, IT in HE, K-12 related, languages and translation, learner profiles, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, online learning, online media, personalized/customized learning, platforms, ubiquitous learning, United States, user experience (UX), vendors, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, youth, by Daniel Christian

The Tutoring Revolution — from educationnext.org by Holly Korbey
More families are seeking one-on-one help for their kids. What does that tell us about 21st-century education?

Recent research suggests that the number of students seeking help with academics is growing, and that over the last couple of decades, more families have been turning to tutoring for that help.
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What the Future Holds
Digital tech has made private tutoring more accessible, more efficient, and more affordable. Students whose families can’t afford to pay $75 an hour at an in-person center can now log on from home to access a variety of online tutors, including Outschool, Wyzant, and Anchorbridge, and often find someone who can cater to their specific skills and needs—someone who can offer help in French to a student with ADHD, for example. Online tutoring is less expensive than in-person programs. Khan Academy’s Khanmigo chatbot can be a student’s virtual AI tutor, no Zoom meeting required, for $4 a month, and nonprofits like Learn to Be work with homeless shelters and community centers to give virtual reading and math tutoring free to kids who can’t afford it and often might need it the most.

An incredibly powerful video. We don’t always know what our students are going through.

On 10/07/2024, in Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), education, Emotion, ideas, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, parents/guardians, psychology, student-related, teachers, youth, by Daniel Christian

This film lasts only 4 minutes and it won an Oscar …

Intense, but it conveys tremendous reality, empathy and putting ourselves in other people’s shoes …

Knowing how to recognize your mistakes and knowing that others also have their problems and empathizing is precious … pic.twitter.com/OXo3wbsyAK

— Figen (@TheFigen_) October 6, 2024

From DSC:
I don’t care whether this video won an Oscar or not — it’s message is incredibly powerful.

Duolingo Introduces AI-Powered Innovations at Duocon 2024 + an AI-based reading coach

On 10/05/2024, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, education, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, K-12 related, languages and translation, learner profiles, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, learning spaces, lifelong learning, multimedia, Natural Language Processing (NLP), online learning, online media, online tutoring, personalized/customized learning, platforms, reading, skills, student-related, tools, United States, usability, user experience (UX), user interface design, vendors, videoconferencing, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, writing, by Daniel Christian

Duolingo Introduces AI-Powered Innovations at Duocon 2024 — from investors.duolingo.com; via Claire Zau

Duolingo’s new Video Call feature represents a leap forward in language practice for learners. This AI-powered tool allows Duolingo Max subscribers to engage in spontaneous, realistic conversations with Lily, one of Duolingo’s most popular characters. The technology behind Video Call is designed to simulate natural dialogue and provides a personalized, interactive practice environment. Even beginner learners can converse in a low-pressure environment because Video Call is designed to adapt to their skill level. By offering learners the opportunity to converse in real-time, Video Call builds the confidence needed to communicate effectively in real-world situations. Video Call is available for Duolingo Max subscribers learning English, Spanish, and French.

And here’s another AI-based learning item:

AI reading coach startup Ello now lets kids create their own stories — from techcrunch.com by Lauren Forristal; via Claire Zau

Ello, the AI reading companion that aims to support kids struggling to read, launched a new product on Monday that allows kids to participate in the story-creation process.

Called “Storytime,” the new AI-powered feature helps kids generate personalized stories by picking from a selection of settings, characters, and plots. For instance, a story about a hamster named Greg who performed in a talent show in outer space.

Students at This High School Do Internships. It’s a Game Changer — from edweek.org by Elizabeth Heubeck

Disengaged students. Sky-high absenteeism. A disconnect between the typical high school’s academic curriculum and post-graduation life.

These and related complaints about the American high school experience have been gathering steam for some time; the pandemic exacerbated them. State-level policymakers have taken note, and many are now trying to figure out how to give high school students access to a more relevant and engaging experience that prepares them for a future—whether it involves college or doesn’t.
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After a slow start, the school’s internship program has grown exponentially. In 2019-20, just five students completed internships, mainly due to the logistical challenges the pandemic presented. This past year, it grew to over 180 participating seniors, with more than 200 community organizations agreeing to accept interns.

How Do Today’s High Schoolers Fare As They Enter Adulthood? View the Data — from edweek.org by Sarah D. Sparks

Even when students have access to high-quality dual-credit programs, they often do not get guidance about the academic and workplace requirements of particular fields until it’s too late, said Julie Lammers, the senior vice president of advocacy and corporate social responsibility for American Student Assistance, a national nonprofit focused on helping young people learn about college and careers.

“We need to start having career conversations with young people much earlier in their trajectory, at the time young people are still open to possibilities,” Lammers said. “If they don’t see themselves in science by 8th grade, STEM careers come off the table.”

Cost plays a big role in the decision to attend and stay in college. The Education Data Initiative finds that on average, students in 2024 racked up nearly$38,000 in debt to pursue a bachelor’s degree, with many expecting to take up to 20 years to pay it off.

Transforming Education From School-Centered to Learner-Centered
Centering Learners by Design: Shaping the Future of Education — from gettingsmart.com

What outcomes do we truly desire for young people? Many students feel that their current educational experiences do not prepare them adequately for real-world challenges. Supported by data on attendance, disengagement, and stress, it’s evident that a shift is needed. To move beyond outdated school-centered models, we must embrace a learner-centered paradigm that fosters flexibility, personalization, and authentic community engagement. Innovative approaches like multiage microschools and passion projects are transforming how students learn by fostering real-world skills, confidence, and community engagement.

These learner-centered models—ranging from personalized projects to collaborative problem-solving—provide actionable strategies to create environments where every student can thrive. Schools are moving away from one-size-fits-all systems and embracing approaches like flexible learning pathways, mentorship opportunities, and community-integrated learning. These strategies are not only closing the gap between education and the skills needed for the future but also reshaping public schools into dynamic hubs of innovation.

Key Points

Engaging parents, youth, teachers, principals, district leaders, community members, and industry experts in the co-design process ensures that education systems align with the aspirations and needs of the community.
Transitioning from a traditional school-centered model to a learner-centered approach is critical for preparing students with the skills needed to thrive in the 21st century.

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